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The immediate financial impact of the Great Recession is slowly becoming a thing of the past as investors get back on track with their long-term financial goals, according to the annual
Financial Review & Outlook Survey released by TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NYSE:AMTD). A majority (67%) of investors surveyed said that 2013 was a good or excellent year for them financially.

Back on TrackInvestors’ confidence in the markets has also improved. Consider the amount of money invested in the market since the recession. Nearly 80 percent of investors surveyed in 2013 said they are putting the same amount of or more new money into the markets, versus 67 percent of investors who said so in a 2010 survey
1. Additionally, the number of investors who reported investing less in the markets since the recession has dropped, from 32 percent to 21 percent, over the same period.

Investors also appear to be recouping losses realized in the recession. In 2013, more investors who are saving for retirement said they are ahead of schedule or on track with their retirement savings goals than those who said so in 2010 (67% vs. 53%, respectively).

“While many Americans took a more cautious financial stance over the past few years, we continue to see signs that the recession’s scars are fading,” said J.J. Kinahan, chief strategist, TD Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”), a broker dealer subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holdings Corporation. “It appears investors are feeling the euphoria of a more positive year, and are beginning to engage in the market more. It’s encouraging to see the optimism both in the results of this survey and among our clients.”

This renewed sense of investor optimism extends beyond financial planning as well. Investors in 2013 were less likely to have put off making major financial or life decisions, with half saying they had done so, compared to 56 percent of investors surveyed in 2010. The top three items that investors put off as a result of the recession were: travel (26% in 2013 vs. 35% in 2010); purchasing a car (18% in 2013 vs. 25% in 2010); and purchasing a home (4% in 2013 vs. 13% in 2010).